Turkey Highlights: Self-Launched Istanbul to Ephesus Loop

Land at Istanbul Airport (IST) or Sabiha Gökçen (SAW). Skip the private transfer and take the Havaist airport bus to Sultanahmet/Taksim (about £3-4, 60-90 min) or the M11 metro + Marmaray combo. Check into a guesthouse or hostel in Sultanahmet (for the sights) or Beyoğlu (for evening life) — aim for £15-22/night for a dorm or simple private. Spend the afternoon wandering: the Hippodrome, the exterior of Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque courtyard, and a cheap dinner of balık ekmek (fish sandwich) or a meyhane if you fancy a splurge. Buy an Istanbulkart travel card from a kiosk (£2 deposit) and load it — it works on trams, ferries, metro and buses at a discounted per-ride rate.

🚌Havaist airport bus or M11 metro from airport (~£3)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Sultanahmet/Beyoğlu (dorm £12-16, simple private £22-30)

• →Hippodrome and Blue Mosque courtyard
• →Hagia Sophia exterior and Gülhane Park
• →Istanbulkart setup
• →Balık ekmek dinner by Eminönü

Self-guided walking day. Start early at Süleymaniye Mosque (free) — the largest Ottoman mosque in the city, with great Golden Horn views. Walk down through the old bazaars to the Golden Horn and the Eminönü fishing district (the tour's 'fishing district' stop is just the Galata Bridge scene). In the afternoon do the Bosphorus on a public ferry: the Şehir Hatları 'Uzun Boğaz' or short-hop ferries cost a few lira with your Istanbulkart (approx £2-3) versus a private boat — you still pass under both bridges, see the Ottoman villas and get off at Üsküdar on the Asian side. Explore Üsküdar's mosques (Yeni Valide) and Maiden's Tower viewpoint, then ferry back. Evening: tram to Taksim Square, ride the nostalgic tram (£1), walk down to Galata Tower for sunset (exterior free; tower entry approx £10 if you want the view), and eat in Karaköy or Çiçek Pasajı.

🚌Tram + public ferry on Istanbulkart (~£5 total)

🛏Same hostel/guesthouse

• →Süleymaniye Mosque
• →Golden Horn and Eminönü
• →Public Bosphorus ferry to Üsküdar
• →Taksim Square and nostalgic tram
• →Galata Tower area

Book Topkapi Palace online in advance (approx £14-16 including the Harem if you want it — the Harem is worth it). Arrive at opening (09:00) to beat the queues; allow 3 hours for the courtyards, Treasury and Harem. Lunch cheaply in Sultanahmet, then collect your bags and head to the bus station side. Options for Ankara: overnight bus from Esenler Otogar or Alibeyköy (about 6-7 hours, £12-16, many operators such as Metro, Pamukkale, Kamil Koç — book on biletyurkiye or directly at the otogar), or if you prefer daylight, the YHT high-speed train (about 4.5 hours, £10-14, book on TCDD Taşımacılık up to 15 days ahead). An overnight bus saves a night's accommodation and arrives in Ankara early morning.

🚌Overnight intercity bus Istanbul-Ankara (~£14) or YHT high-speed train (~£12)

🛏Overnight bus (or Ankara hostel ~£15 if travelling by day)

• →Topkapi Palace and Harem
• →Sultanahmet bazaars
• →Overnight bus to Ankara

Drop bags at your Ankara hostel or the bus station luggage lockers, then use the metro to Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum (free entry, allow 1.5 hours — arrive for the changing of the guard). Take a taxi or bus up to Ankara Castle for the views and the old Kale neighbourhood, then walk down to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations (approx £4 entry) — one of Turkey's best museums. Grab lunch in Kızılay, then take an afternoon bus from Ankara's AŞTİ otogar to Nevşehir/Göreme (about 4.5-5 hours, £10-14). On the way you'll pass Tuz Gölü (Salt Lake) — some buses stop briefly; if not, no loss. Arrive Göreme in the evening and check into a cave-style guesthouse or hostel (dorm £10-14, private £20-30).

🚌Ankara city transport (~£3) + bus Ankara-Göreme (~£12)

🛏Cave guesthouse or hostel in Göreme (dorm £10-14, private £22-30)

• →Anıtkabir (Atatürk Mausoleum)
• →Ankara Castle
• →Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
• →Bus to Cappadocia

Optional sunrise hot air balloon — book direct with a licensed operator (Butterfly, Royal, Voyager) or via GetYourGuide at roughly £120-170 in high season, cheaper in low season; the tour operator's own add-on was reportedly far more expensive, so book direct. Otherwise sleep in. Hire a scooter or use the local dolmuş minibuses (about £1 per hop) to link the sites, or join a small-group Red Tour via GetYourGuide for about £25-30 if you want a guide. DIY plan: Göreme Open-Air Museum (£12 entry, rock-cut churches with frescoes, 2 hours), then walk or dolmuş to Uçhisar Castle (£3) for the panorama, then to Kaymaklı or Derinkuyu underground city (£4-5) in the afternoon, and finish at Pasabag (Monks Valley) fairy chimneys (£3) around golden hour. Dinner in Göreme village — testi kebab is the local specialty (£6-8).

🚌Dolmuş minibuses or scooter hire (~£8)

🛏Same Göreme guesthouse

• →Göreme Open-Air Museum
• →Uçhisar Castle
• →Kaymaklı Underground City
• →Pasabag Fairy Chimneys
• →Optional hot air balloon (not included)

Take an early dolmuş or shared taxi to Ihlara Valley (via Aksaray/Güzelyurt, about 1.5 hours, £4-6) and hike the 4-5 km riverside gorge between the rock-cut churches (entry approx £2) — Selime Monastery at the far end is worth the extra climb. Continue by dolmuş or bus to Sultanhanı to see the 13th-century Seljuk caravanserai (£2 entry) on the Konya road, then catch a bus onward to Konya (about 2 hours, £5-7). Check into a hostel or budget hotel near the Mevlana area (£15-22). Visit the Mevlana Museum (Rumi's mausoleum, free or small fee) in the late afternoon, then wander the bazaar. Optional: whirling dervish sema ceremony at the Konya Cultural Centre (from about £10-15, book locally) — often free at certain cultural centre performances, so ask at your hostel.

🚌Dolmuş to Ihlara (~£5) + bus Sultanhanı-Konya (~£6)

🛏Budget hotel or hostel in Konya (£15-22)

• →Ihlara Valley hike and rock churches
• →Selime Monastery
• →Sultanhanı Caravanserai
• →Mevlana Museum
• →Optional whirling dervish ceremony

Morning bus from Konya toward Denizli (about 5-6 hours with a change in Isparta or direct services; £12-15). If you can, break the journey in Eğirdir — a pretty lakeside town with a castle and mosques — for a couple of hours of lunch and a lakeside wander, then continue. Arrive Pamukkale late afternoon, drop bags at a guesthouse in the village at the foot of the travertines (£15-22, many with pools). Enter the Hierapolis-Pamukkale site from the lower gate (approx £12 entry, open late in summer) and walk barefoot up the white terraces as the light turns golden — carry your shoes in a bag and bring swimwear for the antique pool area if you like. Dinner in Pamukkale village (£6-9).

🚌Bus Konya-Denizli/Pamukkale (~£13)

🛏Guesthouse in Pamukkale village (£15-22)

• →Eğirdir lakeside stop
• →Pamukkale travertines at sunset
• →Hierapolis ruins

Early morning return to Hierapolis for the theatre, necropolis and museum before the heat and crowds (same ticket, so keep it if it's a multi-day pass — otherwise re-entry may need a new ticket; check locally). Mid-morning bus from Denizli to Selçuk (about 3 hours, £8-10). In Selçuk, drop bags or store them, then walk to Ephesus' upper gate (approx £18-20 entry — buy online to skip the ticket queue). DIY audio guide via the free app or a GetYourGuide skip-the-line entry. Allow 2.5-3 hours for the Terrace Houses (small extra fee, worth it), Library of Celsus and Great Theatre. Afterwards visit the House of the Virgin Mary (approx £5, dolmuş from Selçuk £2) and the Basilica of St John (£3). Late afternoon dolmuş or bus to Kuşadası (30 min, £2) for a seafront hostel or guesthouse (£18-25) — sunset over the Aegean and cheap seafood.

🚌Bus Denizli-Selçuk (~£9) + local dolmuş (~£4)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Kuşadası (£18-25)

• →Hierapolis theatre and museum
• →Ephesus archaeological site and Terrace Houses
• →House of the Virgin Mary
• →Basilica of St John
• →Kuşadası seafront

Morning bus to İzmir (about 1.5 hours, £4-5). If you have time, hop off at Konak for a couple of hours — the clock tower, Kemeraltı bazaar and the seaside Kordon promenade give you the 'panoramic İzmir' stop without a coach. Then choose: the fast option is a flight İzmir (ADB) to Istanbul (SAW/IST) from about £25-40 booked a few weeks ahead (Pegasus/Turkish) — total journey ~4 hours door to door. The slow/cheap option is an overnight bus İzmir-Istanbul (about 9-10 hours, £15-18), saving a hotel night. If you take the flight, check back into your Istanbul guesthouse (£15-22) and spend the evening in Kadıköy on the Asian side for cheap meyhane food and live music.

🚌Bus Kuşadası-İzmir (~£5) + flight (~£30) or overnight bus (~£17)

🛏Istanbul hostel/guesthouse (£15-22) or overnight bus

• →İzmir Konak Square and Kemeraltı bazaar
• →Kordon promenade
• →Kadıköy evening

Final morning: pick up any last souvenirs at the Grand Bazaar or the Spice Bazaar, have a proper Turkish breakfast (£5-7) at a local lokanta, and maybe a final çay by the water. If your flight is late, squeeze in the Basilica Cistern (approx £10) near Hagia Sophia. Take the Havaist bus or metro back to the airport (about £3) with plenty of margin — allow 3 hours before an international flight.

🚌Havaist airport bus or metro (~£3)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Grand Bazaar or Spice Bazaar
• →Turkish breakfast
• →Optional Basilica Cistern